


i never knew you could hold moonlight in your hands

by orphan_account



Series: jarry drabbles [2]
Category: Ariana Grande (Musician), Little Mix (Band), One Direction (Band)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gen, Original Child Character(s) - Freeform, short and sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-19
Updated: 2017-03-19
Packaged: 2018-10-08 02:01:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10375365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "What's happened? Are you alright? Is Ari-""No, yeah, we're all good, it's-" Niall laughs shakily. "It's a boy, Harry. We've got aboy."





	

Two things wake Harry up the first Saturday he has off in a month:

1\. Rose squirming in her sleep where she's splayed out across his chest, little body pressed against his.  
2\. His phone ringing.

Harry groans, gently rolling Rose off of him to curl up in Jade's arms instead before fumbling for his phone and blinking blearily at the Caller ID.

"What the fuck, Niall, it's barely five-" he starts in a grump.

" _Harry_ ," Niall cuts him off and, yeah, okay, the vague panic in his voice wakes Harry right up.

"What's happened? Are you alright? Is Ari-"

"No, yeah, we're all good, it's-" Niall laughs shakily. "It's a boy, Harry. We've got a _boy_."

It takes a good fifteen seconds for the penny to drop.

" _What_?!" Harry all but shouts, feels Rose jump next to him, hears Jade's sleepy noise of shock. He slams the bedside lamp on. "You-? When did-? Oh my _god_." He runs a hand through is hair, laughs a little, tears blurring his vision.

Rose crawls back onto his chest, looking less than happy about being awoken at five in the morning. Jade has rolled over onto her side as well, propped up on an elbow and frowning at him. "Who's that?"

Harry pulls the phone from his ear for a moment to tell her. "Niall. Ariana's had the baby."

" _What_!" Jade yelps, sitting up straight. She winces when Rose cries in protest. "Sorry, Rosie. We're not shouting at you."

Harry puts Niall on speaker as Rose crawls over to Jade and sits against her chest, eyelids already dropping.

"When did she go into labour, why didn't you call us?" Jade demands, smoothing out Rose's hair.

"Water broke about an hour after we landed, barely had a fecking chance to call the midwife, never mind you two," Niall shoots back, no malice in his voice.

Jade's face goes soft. "Oh, pet. Congratulations." Niall's makes a choked-up noise.

"Congrats, mate," Harry says earnestly, then frowns. "Wait, landed? Niall, where are you?"

"London? Thought I told you this last week?"

Harry turns to Jade at the same time she turns to him. "We're coming."

Niall is too overwhelmed with emotion to protest.

Jade straps a very tired and unhappy Rose into the backseat of their rover while Harry quickly calls his security. "Paul's meeting us at Ashford," he tells Jade, slamming the drivers doors closed.

She nods, and that's when Harry notices she's biting her nails. "Hey," he says gently, pulling her hand away from her mouth and kissing it. "You okay?"

Jade visibly relaxes. "Yeah, just - adrenaline rush. Not had a shock like this since -" she nods fondly back at Rose, who's well on her way to falling back asleep.

Harry's heart lurches as he studies their daughters little face. He squeezes Jade's hand, kisses her for good measure, and they're off.

\--

They stop off at the first McDonald's Drive-Tru they come to, and Harry thanks his lucky stars that the tired-looking teenage boy taking their order either doesn't recognise them or doesn't care. They coax Rose awake with bottle of smooth orange juice and half of Jade's McMuffin.

Traffic starts to build up at about six thirty. Harry pulls his hood up and Jade puts her black cap on. Rose already knows to pull the blanket over herself if they get stopped, which makes Harry's gut twist, because Jesus Christ almighty, she's three years old. The fact that they've had to teach her how to hide from paps makes Harry and Jade sick to their stomachs.

His anxiety must show, because when they're at another red light Jade laces her fingers between his ones that have been tapping against the steering wheel for a good ten minutes. He tightens his hold on her gratefully, forces himself to breathe.

Neither of them completely relax until they spot Paul outside Ashford Hospital, waving them into a parking space.

"No press?" Jade asks.

"None yet, all quiet so far," Paul assures her. Harry pulls him into a quick hug.

"Good to see you, man," he grins. "How's life?"

"Same old, same old," Paul humours him. "Clodagh's down with the kids for a bit, little holiday in London before I'm back home."

"Because you didn't spend enough time here with us," Harry laughs.

Jade remerges from the car, Rose in arms. She's clutching the stuffed unicorn Liam had felt inclined to get her when she was born, rubbing her eyes and blinking at the first rays of sunlight. Harry fusses, wrapping her blanket around her properly.

Frowning, Rose points at Paul. "Paddy?"

Harry cackles at the offended look on Paul's face. "No, sweetheart. You know Paul, don't you?"

"Oh," Rose rubs her eyes again, tucking her face in Jade's neck.

They're ushered in quickly, only one nurse doing a double take of recognition once they get into the maternity ward. She must already have seen Niall, though, because she directs them to Ariana's room easily enough.

"Oh, my," Jade sounds close to tears already.

Niall is sat with a small bundle in his arms, Ariana on the bed watching them sleepily. Both look up, startled, when the three of them enter, but Niall's face breaks into a tired smile when he registers who they are.

"Alright," he manages shakily, "fancy meeting the little lad?"

After hugs and more tears than any of them will admit to, Harry gently takes the baby - _Niall and Ariana's_ baby, oh god, Niall's a dad - into his arms (Niall hovers anxiously, Ariana watches him like a hawk, but he knows how to hold a baby, thank you very much).

He has Ariana's nose and the shape of Niall's face, and Harry somehow already knows his eyes are blue. He's small, so much smaller than Rosie had been. He squints up at Harry, tiny fingers clutching the blanket around him, little mouth opened in a yawn. Harry barely manages to choke back tears again.

An hour later, Jade and Rose are curled up together on a chair, fast asleep. Niall's lying on the bed, Ariana asleep on his chest, fingers tracing patterns on her back. Something swells in Harry's chest as he watches Niall's soft and open face, because he remembers how hurt he had been after the mess with Ed and Ellie, with Justin and Selena, remembers nights on the tour bus clambering into Niall's bunk to hold him while he cried.

People used to think Harry was the one to give his heart over easily, but it had always been Niall; he'd given himself over again and again and been hurt every time. Until now.

He still remembers the moment Niall had told him he was seeing Ariana, how Harry'd had to restrain himself from calling her into questioning. It's not that he didn't trust her - he did, they all did, and that was the problem. Getting hurt by someone you trust, someone you _know_ , will always be worse than a fling with someone who isn't a constant.

Now, though, sat in this hospital room with Niall and Ariana's son fussing in his arms, seeing the way Niall is running his fingers through Ariana's hair in an easy way he'd never had with anyone else, he thinks maybe it's been worth it.

**Author's Note:**

> I actually planned on this being much longer, but it's been in my notes for a week and I couldn't be bothered, oops.
> 
> Kudos and comments appreciated!


End file.
